Golf club



Elma/vlug HERBER C. AGEES/ ADE DONALD j R007- m @5m/7,

Feb. 22, 1949. H. c. LAGERBLADE ET AL GOLF CLUB Filed June 14, 1946 Patented Feb. 22, 1949 GOLF CLUB Herbert C. Lagerblade and Donald J. Root, Bristol, Conn., assignors to The Horton Manufacturing Company, Bristol, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application June 14, 1946, Serial No. 676,801

4 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to golf clubs of the type having metallic hosels and metallic shafts, and more particularly to the manner of interconnecting said hosels and shafts.

In accordance with the prior art, it is conventional to secure a metallic shaft to the metallic hosel of a golf club head by riveting. It is an advantage of the present invention, however, that the prior method of securing the shaft to the hosel may be eliminated and at the same time the connection between the shaft and the hosel may be improved and may be more readily formed.

The foregoing and other advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of a specific embodiment of the invention as shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a fragmentary front view of a golf club embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary front view, partly in cross section, showing a shaft inserted into a hosel prior to deformation in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the deformation of the hosel and shaft after assembly in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional View similar to Fig. 3 with the clu-b head rotated 90; and

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 5 5 of Fig. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawings, the golf club head i is provided with a conventional metallic hosel 2 which is slightly tapered to provide a diminishing generally circular cross section from top to bottom. The hosel 2 is formed with an axial bore 3 which similarly tapers from top to bottom.

In assembling the golf club, a tapering hollow metallic shaft 4 is inserted into the axial bore 3 to provide a driving nt, To this extent, the description also applied to conventional golf clubs of the type having metallic hosels and shafts.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, a hardened steel ball 8 is then inserted within the hollow shaft l intermediate the ends of the hosel 2. The hardened steel ball 8 maybe of a standard commercial type and preferably has a diameter at least as great as the inner diameter of the hollow shaft at the portion l where it is positioned. In this step of the assembly, the ball 8 is rammed into the desired position, which, incidentally, has the effect of insuring that the wall of the shaft 4 will be in intimate contact with the wall of the hosel 2.

The hosel 2 and the shaft 4, in assembled position, are than subjected to pressure at the portion 'l intermediate the ends of the hosel 2 where the steel ball S is positioned to diminish one cross sectional diameter, as shown in Fig. 3, which at the same time slightly enlarges the diameter at therefrom, as shown in Fig. 4. It is preferred to accomplish this deformation so that the cross section of the deformed portion 'l intermediate the ends of the hosel 2 is generally elliptical or oval in shape.

When the hardened steel ball 8 is utilized, there is a very noticeable swaging of the walls of the shaft Il and hosel 2 to the shape of the ball 8. This is believed to be due to the relative hardness of the steel ball 8 as compared with the metal from which the shaft li and hosel 2 are formed, which results in a owing of the metal of the shaft and hosel around the ball during the squeeze operation.

The deforming of the hosel 2 and shaft A in accordance with the invention may be accomplished in any convenient manner. For example, the deformation has been accomplished satisfactorily in accordance with the invention by the use of a stardard hydraulic press provided with the usual squeeze die.

As a precautionary measure, it may be desirable to incorporate a soft metallic billetl 5 in the end of the Shaft 4 before the squeeze operation. The billet 5 is preferably constructed to nt snugly into the lower end of the shaft i and to remain positioned there during assembly of the club. The purpose of the soft metallic billet 5 is to prevent the end of the shaft 4 from taking the same shape as the upper deformed section during the squeeze operation.

In general, the amount of deformation required to provide a permanent and secure connection between the shaft 4 and the hosel 2 is only very slight and may not even be readily apparent to the eye. For example, a conventional hosel having an outer diameter of the order of about 0.5 inch may be securely attached to the shaft by a deformation` of the order of about only 0.03 to 0.04 inch out of round.

Referring to Fig. 5, it will be apparent that, as a result of the deformation, there occurs a double interlocking of the shaft d and hosel 2 which will effectively prevent the `shaft from coming loose from the hosel. For example, the undeformed diameter of the shaft d above and below the oval section will .be larger than the smallest diameter of the oval section. At the same time, the longest diameter of the oval section is greater than the undeformed diameter of shaft coming loose from or turning in the hosel The advantages of a golf club constructed in accordance with the present invention as r1described a-bove will be even more read-ilye-apparent by comparison with golf clubswof-theaprier ,art in which the shaft and heselareseenredvtogether by careful fitting of the shaft within the hosel followed by drilling, riveting and nishing. In the prior art golf clubs, extremecare mustbe taken to accurately fit the shaft withinthe hosel to avoid relative pivoting of the shaft and hosel at .therivet In .theconstruction ofthe presen invention, materially. less care need betaken in ttingthe shaft within the ho'sel .as `the deformed portion itselfeiectively prevents relative movement of the shaftor hosel. The. elimination of .the drilling and. riveting steps .of the prior art.also. e1Tects a material saving in time and costin the manufacture of the .golf club. In addition, .as ,drilling and riveting are not -required, there is no necessity for grinding o theendoftthevri-vetor pin which heretc'fore ireqnentlymarre'd the nish and rendered the club unsightly. As a result, a golf club may be a's sembled, in. accordance with the presentinventien which not only functions in asuperior manner, but .at`the. sametime may be more easily and inexpensively constructed.

,Having thus described .specific embodiments of the invention, it will'be apparent that the device may bemodied byone skilled in thehart Within the scope Aof the invention, and all such modications are intendedto be includedwithin thefscope. of the. following claims.

We claim ras our invention:

.1.,In a golf club, a metallic `hosel having an axial bore therein and a hollow metallic shaft tted into saidbore, saidhoseland shaft being generally circular in cross sectionthroughout but havinga portion intermediate thetop and bottom of the. hoselwhichis generally oval in cross section wherebyA the )shaft is securely fastened to the hosel.

2. In a. golf club, ametallic hosel having an axial bore therein, a hollow metallic shaft having one end tted into said bore and a soft metallic billet of generally circular cross section positioned within said end of the hollow shaft and spaced from the top of the hosel, said hosel and shaft being generally circular in cross section throughout but having a portionfintermediate'the top landlbottom of the hosel whichi-s of! generally oval cross section whereby the shaft is securely fastened to the hosel.

3. In a golfclub, a metallic hosel having therein :Sa-'tapering axial bore of generally circular cross section throughout and a tapering hollow me- `tallicsliaft of generally circular cross section --throughout iitted into said bore, said hosel and shaftsha-ving a portion intermediate the ends of the hosel which is of generally oval cross section su'chthat the smallest diameter is less than the diameter of the portions of generally circular cross section immediately above and below said portion and in Whichthe largest diameter is greater than the diameter of the portions .of generally circular cross section immediately above and below said portion.

il. In a golf club, a metallic'hosel having-'an axial bore therein, a hollow metallic vsl'ntfttted inte said bore, and a steel ball positioned within said hoilow metallic shaft intermediate theftop bottom of the hosel, said hosel and -shaft ybeing generally circularin cross section throughout but having a portion extending aroundsaid ball intermediate the top and bottom of the hosel which is of generally oval cross fsection, said ball having a diameter at least-'asgreatas the smallest inner diameter of said shaft'at-said oval portion. n

HERBERT C. DONALD J. ROOT.

REFERENCES :CITD

The following references are of record Y inth'e file or" this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number 

